The Amtrack Wars - Earth Thunder Part 66

Sweet dreams, Commander ....

He left quietly, taking the remaining pair of quilts with him.

Entering the main room, he pa.s.sed one over to the silent Yos.h.i.+jiro, wrapped the other round his own shoulders and sat down by the door to the bedchamber and waited for Fran's breathing to ease into the rhythmic ebb and flow a.s.sociated with deep sleep.

Not yet, Roz . . . but soon....

Yos.h.i.+jiro's sleepy expression vanished as he heard the faint voices.

Steve detected four or five, of varied pitch - all speaking what sounded like j.a.panese. He could not understand what they were saying, but the voices sounded tense.

He rose to his feet. Yos.h.i.+jiro beat him by several milliseconds.

'Trouble...?"

The samurai put a crack in the door, listened intently, then whispered: 'Search party from Palace." He held up six fingers. 'Officer give order to surround and investigate this house."

Steve whispered back: 'What should we do- hide?"

Yos.h.i.+jiro shook his head. 'Not possible. Must eliminate."

He took off his white head-band and wrapped a strip of black cloth around his face.

'Then count me in. Two against six is a challenge but it's not impossible if we make the first move."

Yos.h.i.+jiro smiled. 'We have advantage. These are foot-soldiers not samurai. Fujiwara say you have great daring."

Steve bowed his head. 'He honours me. Will you also do likewise by allowing me to use your bow?"

He knew there was no hope of borrowing the samurai's swords. The right to wear them had to be earned the hard way. It was not just a prized status symbol. Weapon and warrior were bound together by a strict code of honour and the only thing that could separate them in battle was death.

Yos.h.i.+jiro handed over the quiver and bow without hesitation. Steve took possession of it reverently, then hung the quiver on his back, tested the pull of the bow and notched an arrow to the string 'Okay, what's the plan?"

The samurai drew his sword and gestured towards the door. 'I go left along verandah, you go right. Soldiers will have white head-band.

Only shoot them, not me!" Steve gave him a thumbs-up then looked in on Fran.

She hadn't stirred. He shut the door to the bedchamber, doused the lanterns. Yos.h.i.+jiro unlocked both doors, eased each one open in turn to check the left and right flank then signalled the all clear.

Steve followed him out, tip-toeing along the verandah to the right as Yos.h.i.+jiro went left. It was still quite dark.

Steve stopped and listened. Not a sound. He tightened his grip on the bow and felt the cold sweat on his palm.

Do it, Stevie. People are waiting. One more, one less.

You can live with it ....

He turned, extended his left arm, drawing the spear-point of the arrow back towards the bow and aimed at the back of Yos.h.i.+jiro's neck.

Theee-yunngh. The samurai heard the action of the bow and was halfway through the turn when the arrow struck him below the jaw, severing the jugular vein as it pa.s.sed through his throat. A second arrow punched through his rib cage as he toppled like a felled tree off the far end of the verandah.

Steve heard a movement behind him. It was Roz. He loosed a great sigh of relief and hugged her fiercely. 'That was harder than it should have been. I must be developing a conscience ."

She hugged him back. 'I'd call that good news, wouldn't you?"

Cadillac appeared out of the darkness. He took a look at the body they couldn't see then walked along the front of the house and up the centre steps. 'Good shot... All we need now is the sound of a violent struggle to wake your friend. Let's hope she likes you enough to come to your aid."

Steve handed him the bow and quiver. 'Stand by." Roz and Cadillac faded into the darkness of the side verandah.

Drawing the pistol from his tunic, Steve threw himself violently against the wooden wall of the house, stamped and slid his boots on the verandah, grunted, huffed and puffed, and finally collapsed face-down with the pistol lying a few inches away from his outstretched hand.

Fran, jolted awake by the noise, sat up and found herself in a pitch-dark room. 'Steve?!'

No answer.

She ran her fingers nervously through her hair while she got her bearings, then yanked open the zip of her trail-bag and found the concealed air-pistol. Crossing to the door, she slid it back a few inches and saw that the main room was also in darkness. There was no sign of Steve or the j.a.p agent. The lanterns had all been extinguished - and both panels of the front door which had been bolted and barred how hung open, black against a dark grey sky.

'Steve...?"

No answer.

Fran swore quietly. Easing off the safety, she selected Full Auto, then tip-toed over to the door and peeked out to check both ends of the verandah. Steve's body lay sprawled face downwards in the right-hand corner. 'Ohh, jeezusss!" she breathed. 'This is all I need!'

Heedless of any external danger, she ran towards him and fell on her knees, laying down the pistol in order to have both hands free to turn his body over. As she got him half-way round, a tall hooded figure stepped into view.

Fran made a frantic grab for Steve's pistol but never reached it. A searing pain filled her head, billowing through her consciousness like a scarlet veil ....

Steve pushed her unconscious body aside and hauled himself upright.

'You certainly took your time getting here."

'We had to find a pair of wheels first."

Steve followed Cadillac and Roz into the house. 'What did you get?"

'A hand-cart and some rope. Saves carrying her."

Cadillac spotted the two quilts as he entered. 'Marvellous.

We can wrap her in these. Are there more?"

'Yeah, in here." Steve brought them then went to fetch the trail-bags.

He placed his own pistol back in its hiding place, slipped a full magazine into Fran's and showed Cadillac how to peel back the false bottom. 'There's a radio in there that might come in handy - later on.

And some of her clothes. Do you want any help tying her up?"

'No." Cadillac took out the grey leather holster, stuck the pistol in it and strapped it on underneath his kimono.

'Have a word with Roz in case there's anything that needs to be straightened out."